Morphemes in “wholesome”
“wholesome” has 2 morphemes: whole + -some.
whole
root
+
some
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are whole + -some.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| whole | free root | free | including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete |
| -some | derivational suffix | bound | tending to, causing |
How the word is built
whole → wholesome
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “whole” is where the chain starts.
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Segmentation derived from MorphyNet (Batsuren, Bella & Giunchiglia, 2021; CC BY-SA 3.0, built from Wiktionary), with hand-written affix glosses and root meanings from WordNet. Reviewed for classroom use; tell us if you spot an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many morphemes are in "wholesome"?
"wholesome" has two morphemes: whole + -some.
How do you break "wholesome" into morphemes?
whole + -some. The root is "whole"; -some is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "wholesome"?
The root of "wholesome" is "whole", built up as whole → wholesome.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.